Following six years of restoration, Rio de Janeiro’s Gustavo Capanema Palace will welcome the public through its iconic pilotis [pillars] again. Completed in 1945 to house the Ministry of Education and Health, the building was Brazil’s first modernist structure. The design team included Lúcio Costa, the urban planner behind Brasília; a young Oscar Niemeyer, then still an intern; and Le Corbusier in a consulting role. Its collection features artworks by Cândido Portinari and gardens by landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx.
In 2021 former president Jair Bolsonaro’s administration sought to auction the building to private investors but intense backlash and on-site demonstrations saved it from an uncertain destiny. The new model is hybrid: part public bureau, part cultural hall. Brazil’s national institute of historical and artistic heritage, Iphan, is overseeing the project. To learn more, Monocle speaks with Patrícia Wanzeller, historian and head of Iphan’s Rio office.
What was Iphan’s strategy for restoring a landmark of this significance?
Our primary concern was to maintain the original vision so that future generations could understand these architects’ work. Capanema Palace is a landmark in the development of Brazilian modernism, tailored to the specific climate of Rio: one of the first buildings constructed on pilotis, it features a full-glass façade to ensure natural light and brise-soleils for constant natural ventilation.
For that reason, our updates were minimal. We installed air conditioning, a controlled-access system and fire-prevention infrastructure. The focus was on restoration. That alone speaks to the building’s architectural brilliance; even today, stepping into Capanema feels modern.
Beyond the structure itself, what other aspects did the renovation entail?
We turned our attention to the original bespoke furnishings, some of which are early Niemeyer designs in which his famed, sinuous lines were already on show. Then we partnered with Sítio Burle Marx – a studio looking after the legacy of renowned landscape architect Burle Marx – to refit and replant his gardens here. Our artwork restoration is under way. We’re finalising plans to restore all of Portinari’s original panelling, too. The goal is to tie the work to an educational programme, making the process open to public view, much like it was during the restoration of his panels from the UN Headquarters.
What role is the building expected to play once the restoration is complete?
The Ministry of Culture is moving in, along with some of its units. They’re taking about 40 per cent of the building and we agreed that the remaining spaces should be for public visitation and use. There are floors dedicated to rotating exhibitions and the National Library Foundation. The eighth floor, renowned for the open-plan layout that was so novel at the time of building, remains entirely original and open for exploration. With Marx’s landscaping, the terrace offers a panoramic view of Rio and might eventually house a restaurant – a few well-known figures in Brazilian gastronomy are already lining up.
Why is it so important for the building to remain in the public sphere?
Considering the amount of art housed in this palace, it’s clear that it was never meant to be just a bureaucratic division but rather a place to be admired, a space where people could witness the reach of Brazilian culture. The Ministry of Culture itself had been discontinued under previous administrations and, during that time, Capanema Palace became a stage for many pro-culture demonstrations. In this way, moving part of the ministry into this building is hugely symbolic. It’s like putting things back where they truly belong.
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